JOIN USWill move to Vizag soon: Jagan reaffirms capital shift plan stuck since 2020
Andhra Pradesh CM Jaganmohan Reddy has reiterated his commitment to shift his executive seat to Visakhapatnam, in accordance with his earlier, contentious plan of abandoning his predecessor Chandrababu Naidu's plan of Amaravati.
Reddy was speaking at a meeting of entrepreneurs and envoys in New Delhi on Tuesday in preparation for the Global Investors Summit the state government is organising in Visakhapatnam in March. He said that Vizag “is going to be our capital in the days to come.”
“I would also be shifting over to Visakhapatnam in the months to come as well,” the CM said in continuation of his and ruling YSRCP ministers' statements in the last three years.
The fresh remarks are seen by some as the CM's bid to promote the port city ahead of his government's first investors summit.
However, the opposition TDP said the CM's “sudden remarks on the capital again now when the matter is pending in the Supreme Court are to divert the public attention from the CBI investigation in Vivekananda Reddy murder case.”
Kadapa YSRCP MP Avinash Reddy, a close relative of Jagan, was summoned by the CBI for questioning in the former MP and Jagan's uncle Vivekananda 2019 murder case. The opposition has been alleging Jagan's involvement and accusing the CM of trying to shield Avinash. The case trial was last year shifted from AP to Telangana by the Supreme Court.
Vizag shift on hold since 2020
The YSRCP chief who took over as CM in May 2019, first unveiled his controversial plan of having three capitals — the executive at Visakhapatnam, the legislative at Amaravati and the judiciary at Kurnool — in December 2019.
The announcement was followed by YSRCP government's two legislations in 2020, which also effectively stripped the previous TDP government planned Amaravati of its sole capital status.
However, Reddy's capital shift is on hold since August 2020 following directions of the Andhra Pradesh HC reviewing petitions of Amaravati farmers, who parted with their fertile farm lands for the new greenfield capital in return for developed plots and other benefits.
Faced with protests from the Amaravati farmers, disapproval of the entire opposition, and the HC's review, the Reddy government had in November 2021 withdrawn the three capital legislation, intending to shift the executive from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.
During the repeal, Jagan told the AP assembly that his government "will bring a strengthened legislation effectively addressing legal questions and public concerns."
In March last year, the Andhra HC had ordered the continuation of construction and development works in Amaravati capital city and region, but the YSRCP government has reportedly made no perceivable progress.
The Jagan government later approached the Supreme Court to challenge the HC order.
“The CM's statements today should be seen as contempt of court,” said Payyavula Keshav, a TDP MLA and chairman of AP Assembly Public Accounts Committee.